Writing the book on JFK

November 18, 2013 2:22 PM

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“Camelot’s Court: Inside the Kennedy White House,” by Robert Dallek. (Harper, 492 pp., $32.50) A close look at Kennedy’s trusted — and, at times, untrusted — advisers, who weighed in on the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, civil rights, Vietnam and more. JFK emerges as a leader who kept his own moral compass and listened to his gut, often disagreeing with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, Secretary of State Dean Rusk and National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy. The exception, of course, was his brother, Bobby Kennedy. Kennedy’s attorney general was “a sounding board and instrument for testing out ideas on others.” less

“Camelot’s Court: Inside the Kennedy White House,” by Robert Dallek. (Harper, 492 pp., $32.50) A close look at Kennedy’s trusted — and, at times, untrusted — advisers, who weighed in on the Bay of ... more

“Dallas 1963,” by Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis. (Twelve, 336 pp., $28) Minutaglio and Davis take readers back to the dark forces brewing in Dallas half a century ago. A group of city leaders shared a dislike for Kennedy and a distaste for civil rights, creating a toxic sociopolitical climate that came to a head in Dealey Plaza on Nov. 22, 1963. less

“Dallas 1963,” by Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis. (Twelve, 336 pp., $28) Minutaglio and Davis take readers back to the dark forces brewing in Dallas half a century ago. A group of city leaders shared a ... more

“The Day Kennedy Died: 50 Years Later LIFE Remembers the Man and the Moment.” (Time Home Entertainment, 192 pp., $50) Highlights from this oversize coffee-table book include a striking photo, on the inside cover, of JFK as a young boy, a fold-out section of frame-by-frame stills of the Zapruder film and snapshots of Lee Harvey Oswald’s family at home in Irving. The “Where Were You...?” section seems irrelevant. (Does anyone care where Alec Baldwin was when he heard Kennedy had been killed?) The piéce de resistance is a removable reprint of Life’s commemorative magazine of Kennedy, originally published Nov. 29, 1963. It is utterly intact, packed with ads for cigarettes, typewriters, turntables and other must-have items of the day. less

“The Day Kennedy Died: 50 Years Later LIFE Remembers the Man and the Moment.” (Time Home Entertainment, 192 pp., $50) Highlights from this oversize coffee-table book include a striking photo, on the inside ... more

“The Day Kennedy Died: 50 Years Later LIFE Remembers the Man and... Photo-5480568.74308 - Houston Chronicle

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“End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy,” by James Swanson. (William Morrow, 398 pp., $29.99) This dramatic ticktock follows key players in the months, days and hours leading up to the assassination. Swanson’s pulpy style and understanding of the rhythm of melodrama make it a page turner: “The accuracy of Oswald’s third shot would determine if the president of the United States lived or died. For Oswald, everything depended on this last bullet. The first two bullets had already guaranteed his infamy. The third would determine whether he was remembered as a failure who missed his chance or as a man of history who changed the future.” less

“End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy,” by James Swanson. (William Morrow, 398 pp., $29.99) This dramatic ticktock follows key players in the months, days and hours leading up to the ... more

“End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy,” by James... Photo-5480569.74308 - Houston Chronicle

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“If Kennedy Lived, The First and Second Terms of President John F. Kennedy: An Alternate History,” by Jeff Greenfield. (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 249 pp., $26.95) Greenfield’s speculative book answers the sorts of “what-ifs” political junkies love. Among his insights: JFK would have dropped LBJ as his running mate in 1964; JFK would have ended the Vietnam War early in his second term; without the pall that JFK’s death cast over the country, the culture wars would have been less intense. less

“If Kennedy Lived, The First and Second Terms of President John F. Kennedy: An Alternate History,” by Jeff Greenfield. (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 249 pp., $26.95) Greenfield’s speculative book answers the ... more

“If Kennedy Lived, The First and Second Terms of President John... Photo-5480570.74308 - Houston Chronicle

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“The Interloper: Lee Harvey Oswald Inside the Soviet Union,” by Peter Savodnik. (Basic Books, 288 pp., $27.99) Savodnik examines Oswald’s defection to the Soviet Union. Oswald became an anti-hero when he convinced the KGB to let him stay in the Soviet Union, the author argues. But Oswald’s return to the States, without accomplishing what he set out to do, was a failure, “monumental and devastating.” With that in mind, Savodnik asserts, “something calamitous was almost inevitable.” less

“The Kennedy Half Century: The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy,” by Larry J. Sabato. (Bloomsbury, 608 pp., $30) Sabato’s exhaustive investigation of the 35th president includes 150 pages of footnotes and public opinion surveys to explain how and why the legacy of JFK has proven both positive and durable. (Short answer: We love Kennedy’s style, and we’ll never forget his tragedy.) “The bullets in Dallas have made Kennedy’s image bulletproof,” Sabato observes. less

“JFK: Conservative,” by Ira Stoll. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 274 pp., $27) Although liberals claim him as one of their own, Kennedy was a conservative by the standards of his day — and ours, Stoll argues. Why? JFK believed in tax cuts as economic stimulus; he allowed Catholicism to lead his vision of democracy; he disliked big government; and he built up the military while in office. less

“JFK: Conservative,” by Ira Stoll. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 274 pp., $27) Although liberals claim him as one of their own, Kennedy was a conservative by the standards of his day — and ours, Stoll ... more

“They Killed Our President,” by Jesse Ventura with Dick Russell and David Wayne. (Skyhorse Publishing, 349 pp., $24.95) With 63 chapters (and even more exclamation points!), this book offers 63 reasons to believe in a conspiracy to assassinate JFK. Chapter 21, for example, argues the paper trail on the rifle was intentional. Chapter 27 claims the murder of Oswald was “obvious witness-silencing.” The former Independent governor of Minnesota and his co-writers conclude the official version of the assassination “was —
and still is — more full of holes than Swiss cheese.” less

“They Killed Our President,” by Jesse Ventura with Dick Russell and David Wayne. (Skyhorse Publishing, 349 pp., $24.95) With 63 chapters (and even more exclamation points!), this book offers 63 reasons to ... more

“These Few Precious Days: The Final Year of Jack With Jackie,” by Christopher Andersen. (Gallery Books,
324 pp., $27) A behind-the-scenes page-turner about the love story of the first couple. “Infidelity, recklessness, and deceit were part of their imperfect union,” Anderson writes. “But so, too, were
courage, loyalty, wit, faith, fortitude, and a true, abiding affection.” less

“These Few Precious Days: The Final Year of Jack With Jackie,” by Christopher Andersen. (Gallery Books,
324 pp., $27) A behind-the-scenes page-turner about the love story of the first couple. ... more

“These Few Precious Days: The Final Year of Jack With Jackie,”... Photo-5480575.74308 - Houston Chronicle